NEETs in Bulgaria and policy measures to effectively address their integration

The report starts on the premise that, despite current positive employment trends, the Bulgarian labour market and the country’s educational institutions have been failing to provide inclusion opportunities for a significant share of youth. This report goes into depth exploring the different factors contributing to the prevalence of NEET (using Labour Force Survey and EU-SILK data). This analysis found, among other trends, very high NEET rates among Roma and poor households as well as in some disadvantaged regions and sheds light on the gender distribution among the NEET group. Having children appears to be a key point of difference between men and women with a much stronger prevalence of female NEETs with children in their household. 

The report finds that the factor of ethnicity has been taken on board by authorities and is reflected in the support policies put in place, most of which form part of the Youth Guarantee framework. The report concludes with a set of very specific policy recommendations to further improve efforts bringing NEETs back into the labour market or education.